RAS Art Focus

Integrating China's Artistic Heritage

The Ideals of the 21st-Century Literati

Sunday, 19 October 2025

9:15 am Registration

9:00 am to 3:30 pm

Organized and curated by Julie Chun (Art Historian and Art Focus Convener), our 2025-2026 series Integrating China's Artistic Heritage seek to explore the ways in which China's rich artistic heritage is being interpreted and integrated in our present era. Building upon our 2024-2025 series that introduced thematic topics and studies in China's Arts and Aesthetics of the Past, this year's series will examine how China's legacy of artistic tradition continues to remain relevant and inspirational to current generation of artists in China and those from abroad.

The theme for this month's session is the legacy of the literati painting (文人化), traditionally produced by scholar-officials who upheld the individualistic form of personal expressiveness, intellectual cultivation and aesthetic appreciation in paintings. Often spontaneously created with ink on xuan paper (宣纸), the works of calligraphy or landscape painting became symbolic of poetic refinement and highest level of excellence. Such striving to adhere to tradition, while holding true to one's individual craft, has been a cornerstone for many Chinese artists throughout the ages. With successive dynasties, each generation of artists were able to expand their artistic repertoire with the availability of novel mediums, genres and materials.

The artist Liu Gang embodies the essence of the literati artist while seeking to broaden the historical parameters established by his predecessors. Born in Hebei Province, Liu Gang came to Shanghai to study in the Art Department of the East China Normal University and continued to stay on in Shanghai. As a practicing artist for three decades, he has witnessed the dramatic changing tide of the art world as wider selection of forms and formats were made available to artists. How has such transitions affected artist? Come join us as we hear from Liu Gang how his practice functions as a profound meditation on temporality—a visual dialogue between historical consciousness, contemporary concerns, and natural phenomena.

Please join us for a unique studio visit and lunch with the artist as we discuss what it means to embody the ideals of a literati artist in the 21st-century.

For more information about the artist Liu Gang, please visit: https://www.artplusshanghai.com/a/Liu-Gang.html​

About the Speaker:

Liu Gang is a professional artist based in Shanghai. Originally from Hebei Province, he graduated from the Art Department of East China Normal University. Liu Gang has established himself as an important figure in the Chinese contemporary art scene, with a career spanning over three decades. His artistic journey is marked by numerous solo exhibitions, including: "器.至" Personal Works Exhibition in Shanghai (2019), "Power of Repetition" Liu Gang "Grand" Series Solo Exhibition in Shanghai (2018), "Phenomenon" Dual Solo Exhibition with LAURA LETINSKY in Shanghai (2018) and "The Second Sex" Artwork Solo Exhibition in Shanghai (2017). Liu Gang's work has also been featured in numerous group exhibitions, showcasing his art both domestically and internationally. Notable group exhibitions include: New Tribe at Sea - Please Ask me How Time Flows in Shanghai (2023), Los Angeles Art Fair (2017), "Awakening Spring" Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition in Abu Dhabi, UAE (2015) and Florence 2008 Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition in Italy.